weightless

Everyday

1. Weightless means having no weight, or seeming to have no weight. tree →
2. In space, astronauts are weightless and float, because they are falling freely around the Earth. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about forces and space, astronauts in the space station feel weightless: they still have mass, but they float because they and the station fall together around the Earth. In everyday talk, something «almost weightless» is very light, like a feather. Phrases: «feel weightless», «float weightless», «almost weightless».

Examples

• Astronauts float because they are weightless in orbit. tree →
• The feather felt almost weightless in my hand. tree →
• In space, a drop of water floats as a weightless ball. tree →
• On the trampoline, I felt weightless for a moment. tree →
• Weightless astronauts strap themselves into their sleeping bags. tree →
• She felt weightless in the swimming pool. tree →

Note

Adjective; noun «weightlessness». Trap: there is still gravity in orbit; astronauts feel weightless because they are falling around the Earth, not because gravity is gone. Weight and mass are different: in space mass stays the same.